


The New Kid

by nobodynose



Category: Lab Rats (TV 2012)
Genre: BASICALLY everyone gets a crush on marcus, Canonical Character Death, During Canon, F/M, First Crush, Gen, IT IS ANDROID-INCEST HELL, M/M, Pre-Canon, Unrequited Crush, everything i write has to be romance-centric i cant-, except for one person, its a problem, who marcus gets a crush on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25109677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobodynose/pseuds/nobodynose
Summary: "What, are YOU gonna say you love me, too?" Marcus crossed his arms and smirked, trying his best to keep his intimidating demeanour. In reality, though, he was kind of hoping that they'd say yes.
Relationships: (one sided), Adam Davenport/Marcus Davenport, Bree Davenport/Marcus Davenport, Chase Davenport/Marcus Davenport, Donald Davenport & Marcus Davenport, Douglas Davenport & Marcus Davenport, Leo Dooley/Marcus Davenport, literally all of those previous relations are one sided
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	1. Douglas • Pre-Canon

**Author's Note:**

> i have a feeling this concept isn't gonna play out well but I always wing it. ANYWAY have fun reading this maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing in third person so I'm sorry if grammar gets thrown out the window.

Douglas stepped back. He had been working on this project for literal years now, and it was finally finished.

It opened it's eyes, and Douglas' first thought was 'Holy fuck,'. It was so realistically humanlike, which, well, was the point. It could eat, sleep, drink, and even swim with little to no damage, so it should've been no surprise when it woke up with imperfect posture and a breathing chest. Maybe Douglas was surprised that all of those realistic features he added actually worked so well. I mean, it looks like a real boy!

"Hey Dad." It said casually, and Douglas couldn't help but step back. It was working. It was speaking. It all seemed surreal to him. For the longest time this had just been a really far fetched idea, Douglas didn't really expect it to work so well on the first try. But... wow.

He got more freedom with this one. You see, with Adam, Bree, and Chase, they were just genetically engineered to withstand their bionics. Douglas didn't feel like putting extra money in to get their looks altered. But with this android, he could make him however he wanted.

So of course he built it as if i was Giselle's baby. Because, you know, he's still salty about that.

It had Giselle's dark black hair and brown eyes, along witb Douglas' pale skin. Then Douglas just threw in some cute little freckles for good measure, because heck, that's the one feature that none of his other children had had and he really wanted a freckled baby.

Excpet this wasn't a baby at all. It was a fourteen year old boy. Not even a boy, actually, an android. But whatever.

It's name was Marcus.

Douglas wasn't exactly sure why he picked that name. He knows the process of how he got there, of course, but the choice of the name itself was sort of meaningless to him. Usually you hear of people naming their sons after their great grandfather or maybe their blind mother's service dog, but no. Marcus was just a name that Douglas probably could've just picked out of a hat.

At first, Douglas was just going to continue with the alphabetical naming thing. This would be subject F. But he wasn't really a subject at all, he was more of like a tool, sort of. He wasn't going to sell him off to the highest bidder, he was just gonna use him to get Adam, Bree, and Chase back so he could sell them to the highest bidder. So naming him Subject F sort of seemed... incorrect.

So a name that started with F. Keeping the same alphabetical philosophy, while not naming him like a piece of machinery. Sort of like what Donald had done after taking the kids from him. And, at first, Marcus wasn't going to be a boy at all. Fiona. He was going to be a Fiona.

But halfway through building Marcus' internal structure, he realized that he wanted a son. The moment he thought this, he knew it was a bad thing to think. Because Marcus wasn't his son, he was just a portal to the three kids that had been stolen from him. He's not his son and shouldn't be treated like one, because then Douglas would get too attached and- He knew that the android wouldn't be able to last more than two years, so getting attached was not in the question.

Either way, Douglas still decided that Marcus was going to be a boy. So Fiona wasn't really an option. Fredrick would do.

Douglas was actually planning on sticking with this name. It had a nice ring to it. And he didn't actually decide on changing the name until he got to the step in programming when he would need to program a name into the android.

And thus, on a split second decision, Marucs' name was no longer Fredrick.

Marcus stepped out of his capsule and scanned the room he was in, "Nice place you got here."

Douglas fought the urge to laugh. Because of all things Marcus could've said, he decided to compliment him on his lab. Which was a mess, by the way.

Marcus was programmed with one main goal - capture Adam, Bree, and Chase, and lure them back here. But Douglas had also wanted to give Marcus some freedom, make him more of a real boy, maybe. He wanted him to be able to make choices, make friends, and maybe grow up and have a family of his own, (though, realistically, he knew that last one was impossible. Again, Marcus would only last two years. Douglas hated that he was so attached already.)

So, along with his main programmed function, he had a separate AI built into his system so he can think and learn for himself. Douglas had programmed the AI separate from the main goal, so the two wouldn't be able to interfere with each other, so Marcus can still have a sorta real life whilst also completing the task at hand.

Douglas may have overshot it a bit with this, but he had given Marcus every bionic ability he knew of. Super smarts, super strength, super speed... all of it. Not to mention all of the bionic kids' hidden abilities too - molecular kinesis, levitation, vocal manipulation, and more. He was extremely overpowered - just another assurity that he would win every fight against Adam, Bree, and Chase.

But he probably wouldn't even need to fight them. All he would need to do is befriend them and invite them over. It would be like taking candy from a baby.

Douglas grabbed a rubber ball off of his desk and pretended to throw it, giving Marcus a practice question to make sure his bionics were working properly, "If I throw this ball at 7 miles per hour, exactly how long would it take for it to bounce off the ceiling?"

Marcus gave him a look, "Hello to you, too." 

Douglas couldn't help but smile at him. The boy's been alive for 20 seconds, and he's already mastered the sarcastic-but-still-evil tone.

Marcus smiled right back at Douglas, and turned to the wall. His eyes flashed bright blue for a moment before he answered, "It wouldn't hit the ceiling." He said, "You suck at throwing."

Douglas scrunched up his face in disbelief, and decided to give it a go. He released the ball from his hand, and, though the ball got really close to the ceiling, Marcus was right. It never bounced. "Damnit."

"And I presume you want me to try and lift your desk, too?" Marcus guessed, raising an eyebrow.

"Woah, hold on there," Douglas said, putting his hands in front of him, "I'm pretty sure I didn't give you mind reading."

Marcus smirked and walked over to the desk, which he picked up with ease.

Douglas was surprisingly shocked at how well his android seemed to be working. Of course, these were just the easy bionics that worked perfectly fine in even humans. What about-

Marcus was gone, and Douglas was pretty sure he knew where he was. He turned around and, yep.

"Invisibility!" Marcus said excitedly, "This is so fun!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Douglas said, shaking his head. He couldn't let Marcus' AI get ahead of itself or cover the matter at hand, "This isn't all just fun and games."

Marcus groaned, "Yes, I know! Get the kids, bring them back, blah blah blah..." He was acting as if he was a teenager being told to do his chores for the thousandth time. But that was good. It meant the whole 14-year-old-boy cover was working extremely well.

"And?" Douglas promoted.

Marcus sighed, reciting, "Don't use bionics."

"Ever."

Marcus shook his head, annoyed, and plopped down into a spinny chair next to Douglas' desk, spinning around rapidly. "Fine."

Douglas smiled, proud of himself for his work. Marcus had working bionics and a rather convincing teenage boy facade. Everything was playing out perfectly, and he'd have Adam, Bree, and Chase they'd even see what was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i expected that to be longer but future chapters probably will be hopefully.


	2. Chase • Concert in a Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just your simple little crush story. At least for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This literally takes the same amount of time to read as it would take to literally just WATCH Concert in a Can so choose what you rather do.
> 
> You don't have to read it all at once I guess.
> 
> And yes, most chapters from now on will probably be this length. Oopsie.

Something was different.

Chase wasn't entirely sure what it was yet, but considering all of these super senses he had, it was sort of hard  _ not _ to know when something was off.

And this slight shift in atmospheric pressure shot Chase's anxiety through the roof. He knew there was a change, but he didn't know what it  _ was _ . It was driving him nuts!

Until math class, that is, when Chase discovered the reason behind the sudden change. 

There was a new kid.

_ He's kinda cute _ .

But Chase wouldn't let himself think that, because if there's one thing that Chase is  _ not  _ good at, it's love. 

Because what is he supposed to say? What is he supposed to do with it? Usually, he does nothing, because usually, he has crushes on people from  _ Return of Space Lizard  _ and movies like it. He couldn't possibly mess anything up with a fictional character from a movie!

But now he was in the real world, with  _ real _ cute people! He could actually  _ interact  _ with them, and very easily screw things up.

Luckily, Chase had managed to go an entire 19 days in the real world without getting any hopeless crushes. Though that was probably about to change in 20 seconds.

The new kid scanned the room nervously, and his eyes eventually landed upon Chase's.

Of course, that was when Chase remembered that the seat to his left was empty. 

The two boys stared at each other, and in that moment, Chase really wished he could send telepathic messages. He'd probably say something like  _ "please don't sit here or I will fall in love with you, and trust me, you don't want that _ ."

I mean, come on! Davenport could give him xray vision, amplified hearing,  _ and  _ quick calculation, but he couldn't give him something as simple as  _ telepathic communication? _

The new kid smiled at him and made his way toward the seat beside Chase, and that's when he knew for absolute certain that he did not have telepathic powers.

"Is this seat taken?" The dark-haired boy asked politely, pointing to the seat beside Chase.

_ Oh god he has MANNERS! _

Chase found it hard to take his eyes off the boy, but surprisingly, his words came out clearly, "No, go ahead."

_ And now he's sitting beside me. Oh god. _

"Thanks!" The boy smiled at Chase, and it took so much restraint for him not to burst out laughing. Just because of the sheer cuteness in the kid that was now sitting beside him.

This is going to be a long 70 minutes, isn't it?

"I'm Marcus." He said, sticking out his hand for a handshake. But Chase, being Chase, had to overthink it. 

_ Don't think about it, just shake his flippin hand! _

_ Yes but shaking his hand would include HOLDING IT!! :DD _

_ Can you shut up and be normal for two seconds? _

Through all of this stupid idoitcy, Chase just wond up staring at Marcus' hand. And he realized this with horror 7.23 seconds later, once he snapped out of it.

Marcus retracted his hand slowly, and Chase felt like he had just been declined a presidential award. "Not much of a hand-shaker, huh?" Despite Marcus' obvious confusion, the tone of his voice sounded joking.

"Sorry," Chase stammered out, "I just- I zoned out."

Not technically a lie, was it?

Marcus smiled sympathetically, "Yeah, I understand," He said kindly, "Happens to the best of us."

_ Stop being such a good person so I can dislike you! _

Then finally - thank the stars - class started, and all of the students had to quiet for the teacher. 

To Chase's pleasure, today was not a lecture day. Chase hated when he had to just sit there and listen to the teacher ramble about things he already knew. I mean, he's literally engineered to know all of this stuff, they might as well just give him the test now! But, of course, that would expose his bionic secret, and put his family at risk. Nothing was more important than his family. 

Or, at least, it shouldn't be.

So when the teacher started passing out classwork, Chase was excited that he'd at least be able to put his knowledge to work, instead of letting it go unnoticed during a lecture.

Besides, it would keep his mind off the incredibly adorable boy sitting beside him.

At least he hoped it would. 

A couple minutes into the worksheet, though; "Hey Chase?" Marcus whispered, leaning over a tad so Chase could hear him better, "Are you good at math?"

Chase scoffed, " _ Good?  _ I'm the  _ best  _ at math!" His ego was so big, he forgot who he was talking to for a second. And once he remembered, boy, was he embarrassed, "I- I mean-"

But Marcus just laughed, and scooted his desk so it was directly next to Chase's.

_ Directly next to me- _

"Maybe you can help me with this problem?" He asked, pointing to the third problem on the worksheet, "Do I divide the three on both sides or multiply it here?"

Chase knew the answer. Multiply. He's supposed to multiply it. But Chase couldn't seem to get the words out. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Marcus was sitting literally 2 inches away from him, and he was  _ really close. _

But this is stupid! Why is he letting himself be so toppled by this boy? He's not even doing anything either! It's just  _ happening.  _

Man, real crushes are so much more difficult than TV ones. 

Chase wasn't going to let all common sense fly out the window just because of this  _ kid.  _ If he was going to lose common sense, it might as well be from a plane accident or… Adam throwing him.

But as hard as he tried, he just couldn't compose himself, "Y-you… you m- you multiply t-he three."

Despite 1) how long it took him to say that, and 2) how jumbled his words were, Marcus just nodded and smiled, completing the rest of the problem on his own.

"Hey Chase?" He looked up once he finished the problem, "Do you maybe have a stutter? Not to be rud-"

"No!" Chase answered, maybe a little too defensively. He did  _ not  _ need another reason to be teased if word got 'round. Besides, he  _ didn't  _ have a stutter. He was just really over-the-top flustered. 

Marcus chuckled, "Just nervous, huh?"

_ I have been caught. _

So instead of possibly leading Marcus to talking about  _ why  _ he was nervous, he decided to change the subject. He found a guitar leaning against the teacher's desk and pointed to it, "Is that a guitar?" He asked, "I think Mr. Johnson is a little too old to play."

Marcus laughed a little, "Yeah, no, that's mine."

"Wait what?" Chase didn't know exactly what he expected him to say, but it wasn't that, "For real?"

Marcus smiled, and apparently it was contagious, "For real." He responded, before he turned to Chase with his eyes wide open, "You know what? I should show you some jams!"

"Really?" Chase had never been all that interested in music, but suddenly he wanted to learn, "That would be cool!"

"Yeah!" Marcus responded excitedly, putting his hands on his desk and  _ dangerously  _ close to Chase's. "We can meet outside the cafeteria during lunch block!"

"I would love that!"

Marcus smiled at Chase again before the two boys returned to the worksheet they were to be working on.

But Marcus never moved his desk away from Chase's, and for the rest of the class, they sat incredibly close to each other. It made it sort of extremely hard for Chase to focus, especially when their legs brushed or Marcus whispered to himself. 

He was crazy. He's known this boy for a singular class period, and he was already so attached.  _ I'm becoming as bad as Bree! _

When the bell rang, he finally got a chance to breathe.

* * *

He practically ran from his last class to the bench outside the cafeteria, excited to see Marcus again. Oh, and the guitar-playing of course. 

He approached the bench and saw that Marcus was already there, and he was talking to Adam. When Adam spotted Chase, he waved him over, "So you finally made a friend!"

Chase sighed and ignored Adam, gesturing between the two, "I presume you've met my brother, Adam?"

Marcus nodded, "Yep. He's pretty cool."

Chase physically restrained himself from frowning, because, yes, he gets jealous easily. And Marcus never called  _ him  _ cool.

"Marcus told me he was gonna play some jams." Chase told Adam, patting Marcus on the shoulder.  _ Physical touch haha! We'll be out of the friend zone in no time! _

_ You aren't even there yet, shut up. _

"Yeah!" Marcus said, sitting up straighter, and rummaging through his backpack for a mini amp, "You wanna see?"

"You bring your guitar to school?" Adam asked, though he didn't really sound confused, rather, excited, "Cool!"

Marcus plugged the guitar into the amp and hopped onto the bench, staring to play.

And to say Chase was impressed was an understatement. He was absolutely blown away. Of course, he hasn't ever actually seen  _ anyone _ play the guitar in person, so there's that. But also the fact that  _ Marcus  _ was playing it made it all the better. Because apparently he's a sucker.

Marcus finished the last chord and settled back down on the bench, "Ah sweet!" Adam commented, "Look at your little fingies go! It's like each one has a  _ mind of its own!" _

Marcus smiled at him, confused, but eventually decided to take it as a compliment, "Thanks." He said, "You know, you guys are the only people who have talked to me at this school. I  _ hate  _ being the new kid."

So that confirms it; Marcus definitely is the reason behind the change in atmosphere. But Chase found it hard to believe that no one else had talked to him. I mean, look at him! 

"Yeah, we used to be the new kids no one talks to." Chase said, half reassuringly, half jokingly. "Now we're just… the vaguely familiar kids no one talks to." Adam tried giving Chase a highfive, but he just gave him a look and shook his head subtly. 

"Hey peeps!" Chase turned and saw Leo coming down the staircase towards them, "What's the dealio?"

Chase was about to introduce him to Marcus, but apparently Marcus was already onto that, "Hi, I'm Marcus." He held his hand out the same way he had for Chase earlier. A handshake. 

_ Don't overthink it Leo. It doesn't do you any good. _

"I know," Leo responded skeptically, fist-pumping Marcus' hand, "We have gym together."

Marcus tilted his head.

"And study hall.  _ And  _ Chemistry. We're  _ lab partners." _

"Oh I-" He shook his head slowly, "I did not know that."

Leo was about to respond when Marcus turned back to Chase, asking, "You ever play guitar Chase?"

He was sort of surprised by the question. He never really thought about playing guitar, or any instrument for that matter, but now? "No, but I've always wanted to!"

"W-well I'm a jammer, too!" Leo butted in, "My rocking is only eclipsed by my rolling."

Chase crossed his arms, "Leo, your mom said you played the clarinet for three weeks." He said, because, in all honesty, he was a little upset that Leo had stolen the spotlight from him, "And then you swallow the reed."

Leo looked away, embarrassed, before admitting, "I passed it…"

Chase shook his head as Marcus turned to him and held out the guitar, "Here Chase, wanna give it a go?"

Chase blinked, honestly surprised by the offer. I mean, how often do you bring your guitar to school and lend it to random strangers to play? Did Marcus really trust him  _ that  _ much already? I mean he wasn't complaining. 

"Wh- I-" He nodded, making up his mind, "Yeah- yeah, sure. Why not?" He took the guitar from Marcus and looked down at it. He scanned it and mentally went through every website and book available about how to play the guitar, because, heck, he wanted to impress Marcus. 

And before he knew what he was doing, he was playing. Not just any old playing, either, he was  _ expert-ing  _ it. He was having fun, too!  _ And  _ he sounded great! To the point where, yes, he was on the floor. 

He stopped, realizing how out of hand he had let himself go. That- that was way too good for a first-time guitar player. He hoped that no one would suspect any bionic interference. 

He opened his eyes and saw everyone staring at him. Adam looked hyped, Leo looked an odd mix of impressed and bored, and Marcus looked a little  _ scared _ .

Chase felt heat rise up to his cheeks as he quickly shuffled back up, "Oh- uh, what'd you know?" He held the guitar back up to Marcus and looked away, embarrassed, "Beginner's luck."

He started shuffling into the cafeteria, in a lame attempt to escape the embarrassment, but Marcus and Adam followed. 

"I'm sorry, I-"

But Marcus cut him off with a simple, "Wow…" And, just like that, Chase was speechless again. "That was awesome, bro! You're such a natural!"

_ There's _ that complaint that Chase oh-so wanted to hear.  _ He thinks you're COOL. Better live up to it! _

That's a lot of pressure.

"Wait! Guys! We should start a band!" Marcus suggested, settling into a seat at their lunch table. 

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Adam responded excitedly, drumming on his knees, "But what would I play?"

Marcus and Chase exchanged looks, before Marcus said, "I think you'll be our drummer, Adam."

"Interesting choice. I was pondering the french horn…"

Leo walked up to them, and Chase was quick to jump on the subject, "Guess what? Marcus, Adam and I, are forming a  _ ban _ d!" Needless to say, Chase was excited. This would be his first big teenager thing, and it would be with  _ Marcus,  _ too!

Leo smiled but looked a little nervous, "Well, you guys just meant. Don't you think it's a little too soon?"

"A little too soon for what?" Chase responded, "Taking the deeply committed step of jamming together?" Logically, Chase knew that this wasn't the best idea, and that they were probably going overboard. But Marcus was his first friend, and his first real  _ crush _ . He wanted to spend every second with him if he could. 

"Now if we could just find someplace to practice." Marcus said, "I live in a pretty small place soo…"

Chase took a swig of his water as Adam spoke, "Oh, I know a place! The lab!"

Chase almost spit out his water, because, first of all, the lab has  _ terrible  _ acoustics. Oh, yeah, and because Marcus shouldn't know about the lab.

Luckily, Adam caught himself before Chase had to say anything, "No- the- uh Labrador Retriever park… yeah, the dog park. Nice acoustics. Plus, dogs!" He turned to Chase and mouthed, "Saved it!"

Chase smiled and shook his head. No one at the poor dog park would want to hear them playing heavy rock. "Well, you know, Marcus, we have a pretty big place. We can all just jam there!"

"Woah woah woah! Hold your horses cowboy!" Leo stood up and pulled both Chase and Adam aside, "Come on, Chase, what are you doing?" He honestly didn't know. "Do you really think it's a good idea to let a  _ stranger  _ into our  _ very private  _ home?"

Usually, no. But Marcus seemed like a nice guy. Besides, it's not like the lab wasn't hidden or anything. Really, unless someone led him to it, Marcus wouldn't be able to find it. They've had parties of over 20 random strangers, and Leo never cared about them. What made Marcus so different?

Leo was probably just jealous. They made a friend and he hadn't. But he can make his own friends. Or maybe even become friends with Marcus, too. Whatever. As long as Marcus could come over tonight, Chase didn't really care.

Chase didn't really care? Damn, this whole crush thing was really screwing him up. Would he ever be a normal person again?

"That's okay guys, we don't  _ have _ to jam…" Marcus stood up and turned away, "Not everyone needs a bright spot in their otherwise horrible life…"

Chase hated the fact that he's known Marcus for 3 hours, but still the sight of him sad like this makes Chase all muddy inside, "Look Leo, you're making him feel bad!" He said, trying his best not to come off as sad as he felt, "Don't worry Marcus, we'll practice at our place later. Come on over."

Marcus turned back to them and smiled, and for a second, Chase felt like he had brought back the dinosaurs. (Which is a good thing by the way. Because there would be so much science involved and he'd probably get  _ massive  _ recognition. Besides, it's not like he'd let them escape or have any Jurassic Park incidents with them.) "Great!" He said, wiping his face with his sleeve, "See you guys after school!" He adjusted his guitar on his shoulder, picked up his bag, and walked away. 

"You guys are making a  _ big mistake. _ " Urg, would Leo just leave them alone?  _ Let us have our fun for once. You've had your whole life yo make friends, it's not OUR fault you didn't.  _ "You've only been in the real world for a little while. There's still a lot of stuff you don't know."

He was talking as though  _ he  _ knew it all. It sort of pissed Chase off, "Look Leo, I'm not gonna run my playdates by you." He said, because seriously, who did Leo think he was? "Hello?  _ Genius! _ "

* * *

Marcus was already sitting outside their front door when they got home.

"Who's this?" Bree asked as they approached him.

"Our friend, Marcus." Chase introduced him. Marcus sprang to his feet and him and Bree shook hands (and were the only ones to actually do so, for that matter). "We're in a band now."

"Awesome," Bree said, but she didn't really sound like she gave two shits. She unlocked the door and walked in, heading straight for the lab, "Well I'm gonna go-"

Adam, realizing where she was going, quickly turned Marcus around and covered his eyes, so he wouldn't see Bree enter the lab. Leo laughed and shook his head, "This is what I was talking about, guys!"

Marcus peeled Adam's hand away and, nonchalantly, asked, "What."

"We just-" Chase stumbled, trying to think of a quick and easy excuse, "We wanted to surprise you with our instruments!" For most people, it would be difficult to get new instruments with a 3 hour notice. But not for the billionaire Davenports.

Marcus turned back around and looked in the doorway, right after the elevator to the lab had disappeared. Thank goodness.

In the living room sat a new drum set for Adam and a brand new shiny guitar for Chase.

But Marcus didn't seem all that interested in the instruments, "Wow, guys, your place is  _ huge!"  _ He said, stepping into the house and taking in his surroundings. 

"Yeah," Adam laughed, "It's grown a lot since Leo came here."

"Wha-" Leo started, but he stopped himself, shaking his head dismissively, before heading upstairs. 

Chase picked up his guitar and turned to the other two boys, smiling. This was great. This was happening. He was gonna be in a band with that adorable bean! Oh and Adam.

"Shall we get jammin'?"

* * *

"Well, it's only our first day, but you guys sound  _ great! _ " Marcus said, walking in between the two boys and wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

And yes, everytime Marcus does something like that, Chase internally goes  _ hehehehe _ . Because this man seriously has problems. At least he's willing to accept it now, right? Besides, love was an interesting feeling to Chase. He's never felt it for real before, and, in all fairness, he found it sort of fun.

Besides, it's not doing any harm to anyone. So he should be fine having feelings as long as nothing changes and he never tells anyone. 

Ever.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chase saw Leo coming down the staircase, probably about to ruin this somewhat nonexistent moment they were having. "Leo what are you doing?"

"Just asking Marcus a few questions." He responded casually, walking up to him. Chase rolled his eyes. "Where were you born? What is your birthday? Who is the president of Venezuela?" He asked, stepping closer to Marcus each question. 

Marcus looked sort of terrified, "I don't know?!" 

"So he's not from Venezuela…"

"Ok that's enough," Chase announced, pulling Marcus away from Leo. Because, if he were to be honest, he did not enjoy seeing the closeness between them. It wasn't  _ jealousy,  _ it was just… yeah it was jealousy. "This practice just became band members  _ only! _ "

But Leo just wouldn't give up, "Then I guess I'm in the band."

Chase scoffed, "Leo, you don't even know how to play an instrument."

"That's where you're wrong!"

He had to give his little brother some credit. He was trying really hard to find a way to keep him safe, but he just couldn't sense that he was going a little overboard with it.

He tried 5 different bizarre instruments, none of them he was very good at. Even if he was, he wouldn't sound good with them in the slightest. 

"You know what? Let him in!" Marcus said, and Chase restrained himself from shouting. Because, again, he's a jealous baby. Marcus grabbed a cowbell that was on the couch (for some reason) and handed it to Leo, "He can play this."

Chase was a little mad. Just a little. But he couldn't stay mad at Marcus for long. Besides, what does it matter whether or not Leo is in the band? Marcus is still  _ Chase's  _ friend.

...but he became Adam's and could easily become Leo's too. What if  _ Leo _ liked him the same way Chase did? It would explain why he wanted to know so much about Marcus without coming off as interested. Oh god, what if he made a move?  _ Before _ Chase? (Not like Chase planned on doing anything…)

Long story short; anxiety and jealousy. But he wasn't gonna kick Leo out of the band or anything. Not unless he did something really bad.

* * *

Annnd he jinxed it.

"Why would you break his guitar??" Chase asked, furious. In that moment, he threw all of his theories about Leo liking Marcus out of the window. Because even a cruel-hearted spirit wouldn't break their crush's guitar.

"No. No, no, no. That's what he wants you to think!" Leo defended himself, but all of the evidence was right in front of him. Leo was  _ holding  _ Marcus'  _ broken  _ guitar. "He broke it and gave it to me. He's the breaker and I'm the breakee."

"That is crazy! Why would I break my own guitar?"

Chase crossed his arms. If he was angry  _ earlier,  _ then he didn't know what he was now. Extra angry, maybe. "Look, Leo, I would like to believe you, but you do break things  _ all _ the time." 

"Leo, this reminds me of a story of a boy named Wolf... Who cried a lot. And after that, his friends never believe him. And then... his grandmother ate him." All three of them gave Adam a confused look, but Chase was at least glad that he was defending Marcus.

"Fine. But this goes deeper than a broken guitar." Leo said. Chase was pretty sure it didn't, but okay. "I will prove my innocence and show you that he's up to no good. I'm gonna go all C.S.I. on this one!" 

Leo exited the room, giving the broken guitar back to Marcus, who sat on the couch with it in his lap. Chase sighed and sat beside him, shaking his head, "I really don't know why he'd do that."

Marcus shrugged, his voice soft, as if he was maybe about to cry, "M-me neither. I think he's j-jealous of me." 

_ Understandably. _

"Oh come on," Adam said, sitting beside Chase. (He wouldn't admit it, but Chase was sort of happy he sat there instead of beside Marcus). "He probably just wanted to rob you of all your valued possessions!" 

The two started at him.

Chase ignored Adam and turned back to Marcus, "Look, I'll get my dad to buy you a new guitar." He explained, resisting the urge to touch Marcus' hair cuz it was  _ so soft looking- _

"Thanks." Marcus sniffed, "You guys are so nice."

Chase smiled. He's  _ nice!  _ "I don't think you can say that," he said, and Marcus tilted his head at him, "cuz  _ you're  _ the nicest person I've ever meant."

* * *

No one knew exactly how a Concert In A Can worked, but hell, were they excited to use it. "It has the word  _ concert  _ right there in the name!" Marcus said on the walk from their house to school the next day, "We're gonna perform!"

"Yea," Adam agreed, twisting his drumsticks between his fingers, "And not like-- play preforming."

"Acting." Chase corrected. 

"Oh that reminds me!" Marcus said, skipping slightly on the sidewalk, "I'm trying out for the drama club!"

_ Can this boy literally get any cuter? _

"Awesome!" Adam said, "I bet you'll make it."

"I've never seen you act." Chase said, "Maybe you can show us a skit at some point?"

Marcus smirked, "Oh yeah, of course. Maybe I can do some improv will you guys."

Adam frowned, "But I'm a terrible actor."

Marcus shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, "You don't have to be an actor to do improv. At least, not this time."

The three arrived in the school gym and were greeted by Mr. Davenport handing Marcus a new guitar, "Thanks," he said, taking it from his hand, "This looks almost as good as the one Leo so viciously destroyed."

Davenport nodded and headed over to Bree's career day stand. 

The boys started setting up their instruments and equipment, preparing for their concert. "Thanks again for letting me into your little group." Marcus said as they worked, "I didn't think I'd ever make friends."

He had to admit, Chase didn't really expect Marcus to be the insecure type. But he seems to have had a rough childhood and an interesting life, so there was probably a reason behind it. It sort of made Chase thankful for the life he had (even though most of it was in a basement). He also felt a greater need than ever to get closer to Marcus - not so close that he screwed everything up, mind you - but Marcus seemed to need friends to help him through whatever he was going through. 

"Nonsense," Chase responded, tuning the guitar, "Everyone would have wanted to be your friend." Chase definitely believed what he had just said, but still;  _ Please don't leave us, though.  _

"You think so?"

Was he fishing for compliments? Maybe. Was Chase gonna give them to him? Hell yeah. "Of course! You're polite and smart and-"

"You literally had to help me with two-step equations yesterday."

"Yeah, but I-" Come on, Marcus, accept the friggin compliment, "It's not my fault I'm-" He cut himself off, realizing that what he was about to say would both reveal his secret and just make Marcus feel worse, "I mean- You can always get better!"

Marcus tilted his head, and Chase mentally cursed himself for stumbling so much.

_ He's attractive too,  _ Chase thought,  _ But of course you didn't say that. You wanted to, but you didn't.  _

_ Yeah cuz I'm not flippin gay. _

_ Are you sure about that? _

"And now, for your Career Day entertainment, Concert in a Can! An announcer announced over the intercom.

"That's us!" Adam said excitedly, sitting down at his drumset, "Get ready!"

The Can activated, and Chase couldn't believe his eyes. Well, he could. He's a man of science. He always believes. 

But Marcus, Adam, and him were standing on a huge stage, with blaring strobe lights and a loud crowd, cheering them on. It was exactly how Davenport had described it, but better, because it actually  _ worked.  _ He had no idea where everyone else went, or if they could even see them, but he didn't really care. He just played.

They all just played. Like a band does. 

Chase wasn't really thinking in the moment, but what was there really to think about? He was playing guitar in a band with two people he loved, and that was that. Chase didn't  _ not _ think often, but I guess today was just special.

He couldn't have been up there for more than 5 minutes when it was over, just as quickly as it had begun. "Aw man," Adam whined, expressing Chase's exact thoughts.

"Sorry guys," Davenport said, walking up to them, "But Bree and I want a turn. You guys did pretty good though!"

"Yeah!" Marcus agreed, jumping up to stand beside Davenport, "We make such a great team, guys!

Chase and Adam looked at each other and smiled. Neither of them had been on a team before (well, besides during that one drastically terrible football game they played), and both of them felt honored to be called part of a team. Especially  _ Marcus'. _

* * *

There wasn't really much to say about  _ Bree's  _ concert. It was pretty terrible.

Leo arrived late - after both of the concerts, - with a tablet in his hand.

"Sorry Leo," Marcus said as he approached, "We've safely packed away all the guitars. Maybe now you can find something else to break." He laughed and gestured toward him, "Cuz, yknow, you broke the guitar."

Leo ignored him, "Excuse me, I would like everyone's attention right here." Surprisingly, Leo asking for everyone's attention actually worked. "I have proof from our home security system-"

"Hi!" 

"That I did  _ not  _ break the guitar." 

Chase crossed his arms, and wondered how good at photoshop video editing Leo had to be to make it look like  _ Marc _ us broke the guitar. "Now watch as I-"

But Marcus ran up to them and intersected their little group, "I have a confession to make!"

_ What. _

"Oh no you don't!"

"I did it! I broke the guitar!" Marcus admitted. "I broke my guitar and blamed it on Leo. I owe everyone an apology."

So, let's check in on Chase.

Welp he's devastated. 

He felt, all in all, really bad. He shouldn't have disbelieved Leo so easily, and should've at least considered his point of view. But that was sort of hard considering Marcus. 

_ Marcus.  _ He had blatantly lied to all of them. Very easily too. Maybe those acting lessons were really paying off. But if Marcus lied on his first day of knowing them, who's to say he won't just as easily lie to them again?

"You broke the guitar?" Chase clarified, "Why didn't you just say so?" 

Chase wouldn't admit it, but really, no matter what Marcus responded with, Chase would forgive him. He can't _ not.  _

"Because I had already cracked the guitar, but if my dad knew that I broke it I'd be in so much trouble" Chase opened his mouth to speak again, but Marcus kept venting, "because my family is so poor and I just want everyone to like me because I'm always the new kid, so I made everyone think that Leo did it because I'm so scared and it's so hard to make friends and I'm just a dumb kid compared to all of you and my grandma just died!" He finally finished, putting his face in his hands and starting to sob.

Wow… that was… a fucking  _ lot. _

"Are you crying? Is he crying?" Davenport asked nervously, awkwardly putting a hand on Marcus' shoulder. 

Marcus had gotten close to crying a couple of times since Chase met him, but he hadn't actually done it until just now. And let's just say, it tore Chase apart. He wanted so badly to walk up to him and give him a hug, but that would be weird. He didn't want Marcus to think he was weird.

_ Hold his hand!!!  _ A little voice in his head shouted.  _ Cowarddd!! _

He didn't. Obviously. Like have you even watched the episode?

"It's okay Marcus!" Bree said reassuringly, putting her hand on Marcus' other shoulder. 

"Yeah it's no big deal."

"We don't think you're dumb." Of course,  _ this _ time Chase could think of a good response to Marcus thinking he's dumb. And of course, it basically contradicted everything he had said before. 

"Yeah! And your grandma didn't  _ die!" _ Adam said, getting a lot of weird looks from everyone else.

"Why don't you come and have dinner with us?" Davenport asked. Chase was really hoping he'd say yes.

"M'kay," Marcus responded as he wiped his face on his sleeve, his voice still a little soft. "Just give me a moment to apologize to Leo."

The 4 nodded and headed out of the gym, and Chase couldn't help but smile. 2 days and he was already having  _ dinner  _ with this kid! Granted, his entire family was going to be there, so it definitely wasn't anything like a  _ date. _ But  _ still. _

* * *

Marcus sat right beside Chase at the table, and I think that's really all I need to say.

Leo didn't come to dinner at all, but Chase couldn't really care less. Because now it was just him and Marcus. And Bree and Adam and Tasha and Davenport, but whatever. 

Marcus sniffed, still a little rallied up from the cry he had had earlier, "Thanks again for offering me dinner." He said, "I'm not sure if we'll  _ ever  _ be able to afford a meal like this."

"You should've invited your dad," Tasha said, "We'd be absolutely honored to feed him, too."

"Oh, n-no, that's fine." Marcus stuttered out, staring down at his plate, "My dad and I we- we don't really-... I don't think that would be a good idea." He started tearing up again, and this time, Chase actually  _ did  _ grab his hand. 

_ Holy shit what are you doing??? _

_ This was YOUR idea! _

Marcus didn't seem to notice. Which was weird. Chase let go almost immediately, not wanting to make Marcus uncomfortable. 

Though, now that he thinks about it, maybe the reason Marcus didn't notice was because he hadn't held it long enough  _ for  _ him to notice. 

But  _ Chase _ noticed. And, even though it was only for 1.23 seconds, he had really enjoyed it.

_ This is so weird _ , He thought to himself,  _ I am so weird. _

_ No, you're in love. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually hate the amount of copy/pasting and repetition i had in this chapter but I hope it was still somewhat enjoyable. 
> 
> I'm trying to stick very close to canon, until the TIME comes.  
> I will stray far from canon eventually, but you won't see it coming.


End file.
